Automatic control device for liquid-fuel burners



Jan. 17, 1928. V 1,6565443'.

C. MOMANUS AUTOMATIC CONTROL DEVICE FOR LIQUID FUEL BURNERS Filed June 22, 1925 Ava/won.

Patented Jan. 17, 1928.

PATENT "OFFICE,

iG HABLESMUMANUS, F BEt-LEVILLE, IIJIJTNQIS.

AUTOMATIC icomaox. DEVIGE ronirmnrnmom. mummies V Applicationflled 11111082, 1925. Serial m). mm.

This invention .relates .to ,automatic control valves ,particularly adapted for 'use with liquid fuel burning systems and has for its principal object to provide means for preventing further flow of liquid fuel to the burner after the liquid .fuel has reached a predetermined level therein Qther objects are :to 1- rovide an inexpensive control valve that wi lenabletthe flowof liquid fuelto the burner to beeasily andyaccurately controlled, that will have a simple :and compactconstruction, and that will prevent leakage around the valvestems.

The invention consists principally in means adapted, when the liquid reaches :a-

.predeterminedlevel :inthe liquid diuel burner,

to divert liquid iuel flowing to -thevburner ainto acontainerrqperatively-iconnected with a control valvesonthatxthe weightof the liquid .iuelithus diverted serves to close ,said valve ,and .thus stop [further How of liquid fuel to .saidhurner. It alsoconsists in an improved control valve and .in the mechanism for actuating the same; and it also cons sts .m the combinatlons and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In .the \accompanyi drawing, which "forms part of thisspeci cation, and wherein :like sym'bdlsrecter to i like parts wherever they occur,

i l is a vertical sectional view of a ligui ttuel -burner equipped with an auto- .matic .control :device embodying my invention, the-control valve Ibeing shown in eleva- :tion and inopen position;

.my invention is shown in connection with a zliguidifuelburner Arofordinar-y term which is en lied ravit or other ,pressure, with oil :fro m ad si pply ltank (,not shown) means of a supply pipe comprising a section .1 leading qtromdthe supply tank to the inlet chamber 301? a rcontrol valveB and a :section 2 leading :trom ltheioutlet chamber 4 of said control valve to said burner.

The control valve ;B is supported .in 1alhorizontal position on a pedestal i-9 and-comprises ,a main ibody portion 110 haiving cyli'ndrical recesses in its opposite ends which form part of the inlet chamber 3 and the outlet chamberA; and are covered .by hemis- EhBIICal caps 11 removably secured in place y screws 12. These recesses communicate with each other through a central bore 01' passageway 13 which extends through the wall which separates said chamber. The opposite ends of the passageway areyprov ded with conical seats for the tapered ends ofa horizontally disposed shutoff valve :14 and a regulating valve 15. The needle valves Hand 15 are ,keyed or otherwise rnon-rotata'blvsupported in axially \alined bores extending through horizontally spaced bosses on the .caps 11 and yokes 16 extending from .top ,to bottom thereof. Mounted on the respective needle valves 14 and 15,rin spaces provided therefor between the ,bosses that :slidably support said valves, areiad ustin wheels 17 and :18 which have screw threa ed engagement with said needle valves, iwhereby rotation of either of ,said wheels causes the needle valve controlled thereby to move 111 ,the'direction of its axis .andthus'openor close theiend of the passageway 13 engaged thereby. Interposed between the ends of the main body portion 310 of thecontrol valve and the caps 11 therefor are .metal diaphragms 19 whose marginal portions are clamped between the body :and cap members by the screws 12 thatsecure said caps in place.

p The ,metal diaphragms 19 are perforated to .receive'the inner :ends of the valve stems '14 and :15 and are ,provided with integral collar ;portions 20 and separate clamping :rings. 21 (between which the central portions of said diaphragms are [tightly clamped by meanaofsorews22. The diaphragms, whic are resilient enough to permit the required sliding movement of the valve stems,-serve-t0 cooperate with the recesses in the bodymemher the valvetto form the .inletchamber 3 and theoutlet chamber 4 that communicate with each other through the passageway of .port '13. It is noted that these metal diagphragms ,prevent leakage of 'oil around the valve stems and, at the same time, eliminate the use of stufling boxes which require mepacking .at frequent intervals.

The supply .pipe section 2 leading from t he outlet chamber 4 of the control valve 13 to ithe liquid fuel burner A communicates with said chamber at the top thereof and extends horizontally therefrom and thence upwardly and enters said burner through the bottom thereof. The supply pipe section 2 is also provided with a branch pipe which extends upwardly to the maximum oil level desired for the oil in the fuel burner (such level being indicated by the dotted line in Fig. 1) and is thence rebent downwardly in the form of a return bend 2.

Mounted for vertical swinging movement in the bifurcated end of an arm 23 secured to the cap member which supports the cut-off valve 14 is a latch member 24 comprising an outwardly extending arm 25 adapted to support a container 26 in position to receive oil discharged from the return-bend 2 and an upwardly extending arm 27 provided at its upper end with a horizontally journaled roller 28. The latch member is also provided with a finger 29 which extends beneath the yoke 16 that supports the cut-off valve and serves to limit the downward swinging movement of said member. The adjusting wheel for the cutoff valve 14 is provided with a radially extending projection'in the form of a pin 30 adapted to be inserted in any oneof a series of holes 31 in the peripheral surface of said wheel.

The hand-wheel for the cut-off valve is also provided with a counterweight 32 adapted to rotate said wheel in the direction required to close said valve. The'counterweight 32 is provided with athreaded stud 33 adapted to engage any one of a series of holes 34 provided therefor in the peripheral surface of the adjusting wheel. The roller 28 on the upwardly extending arm of the trip member 24 is adapted, in the open position of the shut-off valve 14, to-hook over the pin 30 projecting from the adjusting wheel therefor and thus retain the bucket supporting arm of said trip member in a substantiallyhorizontal position. The counterweight 32 is'located on the side of the adjusting wheel opposite the pin 30 and thus serves to press said pin against the under side of the roller on the upwardly extending arm of the trip member and thereby releasably retain said trip member in its raisedor normal position.

Assuming the parts to be in the position shown in Fig. 1, the operation of the control device is as follows:

Oil is supplied to the inlet chamber 3 of the automatic control valve B, through the section 1 of the oil supply pipe and passes through the passageway 13 into the outlet chamber 4 and is thence conducted to the burner A through the supply pipe section 2 leading thereto. In the event that the flame of the burner is accidentally extinguished, or that oil enters the burner faster than it can be consumed, such excess oil will rise in the return bend branch 2 of the section 2 of the supply pipe and be discharged into the container or bucket through the downwardly extending branchof said return bend and said valve to close.

thus prevent the level of the oil in the burner from rising above the level of the rebent portion of said return bend. This operation continues until the weight of the oil in the bucket is sufiicient to overbalance the weight of the counterweight on the adjusting wheel for the cut-off valve, thereby causing the roller on the trip member to ride off the retaining pin on the pin wheel. Upon release of the pin, the counterweight swings downwardly and thus rotates the hand wheel a. distance suflicient to close the opening in the passageway 13 and thereby stop the flow of oil through the section 2 of the supply pipe.

The above simple and it is very easily assembled and installed. It secures a positive operation of the cutuff valve without the use of separate springs or a separate overflow pipe leading from the burner to the valve; and it also controls the flow of oil to the burner in such manner that only the quantity of oil intended for consumption is permitted to enter the burner.

Obviously, the hereinbefore described device admits of considerable modification without departing from the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the recise construction shown. For instance, t e adjusting wheel of the regulating valve which regulates theflow of oil to the burner can be automatically controlled by means of a thermostat.

What I claim is: I

1. An automatic control device for a liquid fuel burning system comprising a liquid fuelburner, a fuel supply pipe and an overflow pipe communicating with said burner, a rotary cutoff valve in said supply pipe, a wheel mounted on the stem of said described control device is valve, a counterweight circumferentially adadapted tobe actuated by the weight of a predetermined amount of liquid in said conta ner to disengage the upright arm from the pin on said wheel and thereby permit 2. An automatic control device for a liquid fuel burning'system comprising a liquid fuel burner, a fuel supply pipe and an overflow pipe communicating with said burner, a rotary cutoff valve in said supply pipe, a counterweighted wheel attached to the stem of said valve and normally tending to close the same, said wheel being provided with a radially extending projection, a horizontally pivoted lever having a laterally extending arm and an upright arm provided with a roller adapted to engage the radial projection on said wheel in the open position of said valve to prevent closing movement thereof, and a container supported on the lateral arm of said lever in position to receive liquid dischargedffrom said overflow pipe, said lever being adapted to be actuated to disengage the roller thereon from the projection on said wheel by the weight of a predetermined amount of liquid in said container.

3. An automatic control device for a liquid fuel burning system comprising a liquid burner, a fuel supply pipe and an overflow pipe communicating with said burner, a rotary cutoff valve in said suppl pipe, a counter-weighted wheel attached to roller and adapted to engage the pin on said wheel in the open position of said valve to prevent closing movement thereof, a container supported on the lateral arm of said lever in osition to receive liquid discharged from said overflow pipe, said lever being adapted to be actuated to disengage the roller from the pin on said wheel by the weight a of a predeterminedamount of liquid in said container, and means for limiting the swinging movement of said lever after the disengagement of said roller and said pin.

Signed at Belleville, Illinois, this 18th day of June, 1925.

CHARLES MGMANUS. 

